1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to devices designed to turn the pages of a book one page at a time. More particularly, it relates to a device intended for use as a sheet music page turning device, and still more specifically it relates to a device that in some embodiments uses magnetism, biasing means, and a unique magnet-disengaging means to turn pages while in another embodiment it eschews the use of magnetism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Musicians of course read music from books commonly known as sheet music books. In the course of playing a tune, whether for personal pleasure, practice, recording, or before a live audience, it often becomes necessary for the musician to turn the pages of the sheet music at a time when it is not convenient to do so.
Some musicians solve this problem by asking another musician or at least someone who can read music to sit by the music stand and to turn the pages as required. This is obviously a waste of human resources.
There have been some attempts to invent page turning devices, but as of the date of this disclosure, no page turning device known to the present inventor or his agents has ever met with any significant measure of success in the marketplace.
A typical patent of the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,080 to D. Conlin, awarded in 1978. The Conlin device includes a base which supports a vertical shaft upon which a plurality of page holding elements are rotatably mounted in an annular guide member. A number of sleeves are mounted rotatably on the vertical shaft and are operatively connected to the page holder elements. A retaining pin prevents advance of the page holder elements along the guide member. A foot controller, or alternatively an electric motor is operatively connected to the retaining pin to permit manual or automatic release to thereby enable the page holder elements to advance and the pages to turn.
The Conlin device thus achieves its objective, but it is clear that the art of page turning devices has not yet reached its full development.